Bittersweet Melody
Second Arc: Act Six
"That was a great match!"
Cat's small white blade flew back into her gloved hand. She looked across the room to see her partner, Ozuma standing with a smile on his face. His black blade continued to spin on the hard concrete. The group had gotten together in the nearest training center in Rome and decided to practice together. After all, a very important match was coming up and soon. The Saint Shields stood together in a small circle while Rumi, Yumi and Yuki sat a few feet behind them. They were observing of course, out of nothing better to do.
"Nice work, Cat." Yusuf turned to look up at the newest Saint Shield member with a smile.
"Yes," Mariam agreed with a nod. "You've improved. All that practice back home has really paid off." She turned to her team leader, her Beyblade lifted. "It's my turn, Ozuma."
"All right." The leader called back his black blade.
"Hey, when am I gonna get a chance to practice?" Dunga asked looking in his direction.
"Now's the perfect time." Ozuma walked away from the group and stood beside his partner, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Great!" Dunga pumped his fist in the air. "Let's go." He said with a direct stare at Mariam.
Without a word, the blue-haired beauty lifted her launcher into the air and prepared it for battle. Yusuf stood a few feet outside the circle with his arm lifted in the air. He began the count down and in less than three seconds both blades were spinning on the concrete floor.
"You don't want none of this!" Dunga shouted, his eyes glued on the blades spinning below him.
"Wow," Rumi spoke as she moved her fingers through her thick hair. "You've been hanging around Greco too much; you're starting to pick up her lingo."
"Quiet back there!" Dunga yelled back at the younger girl. "I'm trying to concentrate!"
"You're gonna lose anyway." Rumi threw her head back and laughed at the larger boy.
"Hey!" He looked over his broad shoulder at the orange-haired female. "What would you know? You don't even blade."
"And I wouldn't want to." She lifted her hand and waved it back and forth. "I have better things to do than play with a deride."
"This is a hard sport!" Dunga protested, "But let me demonstrate for you," He said in a sly voice, turning his stare back to his battle.
Cat rolled her eyes. It was always an argument with those two. Then again the constant arguing between those two took most of the negative attention Dunga had for her away. It wasn't so bad, having those two girls, Rumi and Yumi hanging around. After all, with them around she got a decent meal. Having rich friends was a plus. Although the constant paparazzi were an issue, since when did The Saint Shields become a news story?
Cat let out a loud tired sigh before she retreated to the bleachers that Rumi, Yumi and Yuki were sitting at. She lifted her arms above her head and stretched. She then opened her mouth widely to yawn. The constant training had gotten to her, she was exhausted. Did Ozuma always train his teammates like this? Like a Beyblade boot camp? She opened her eyes to see Ozuma approach her. He took a seat beside her without a single word. He then turned to face his partner with wide eyes. What was it now? Cat tilted her head to one side and parted her lips.
"What's the matter?" She asked.
"After this you should rest for the remainder of the day." Ozuma replied in a calm voice. "Neither one of us can overdue it."
"Oh?" She blinked a few times.
"Our match with the PPB All-starz…" He said before looking forward. "Are you worried about it?" He said in a low, whisper-like voice.
"Me?" Cat laughed before pointing to herself. "Nah!"
"You should be."
"What?" She backed up for a moment, feeling confused.
"Are you going to choke like you did with Kai?" Before she could answer, he continued, "Can you really face Max?"
She twitched at the sound of his name. She felt a sudden slamming in her chest. She lifted her hand to touch her chest; sure enough it was beating away in her chest. Harder then she would have liked. Why the sudden shock at the mention of his name? A sudden warm feeling came to her cheeks. Wait, was she blushing? Cat moved her hand from her chest to her cheeks. Yes, the unusual heat there confirmed it, but why?
Cat looked over to see her partner looking at her straight in the eye. She jumped at the sight of his longing stare and looked away from him. She coughed before covering the heavy blush on her face. Was she blushing because of the incident with Kai? Or was she blushing because of him, Max? She couldn't be sure.
"I'll fight him for you."
Cat turned to look at her partner with wide eyes. Did he just say what she thought he said? He would take the hit for her? She felt a smile spread across her burning cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, only to have Ozuma lift his hand to stop her. She looked to see her partner with his eyes closed and a grin across his face.
"That's what partners do."
"Thank you, Ozuma."
XoXoX
"I'm hungry, let's get something to eat!"
Takao laughed, before moving his arms behind his head. After a well-performed practice it was time to fill his belly with nourishment. He stepped down the hall of his hotel lobby alongside Kyoujyu, Hiromi and Daichi. The trio was headed to the closest cafeteria in hopes of finding something sweet to eat. Kyoujyu and Hiromi had only followed along for the ride; they couldn't stomach any more sweets. Daichi on the other hand, could get enough so why not go out on adventure to find food? Takao walked ahead of the group, Hiromi not far behind.
"Is food the only thing you think about, Takao?" She sighed, her eyebrows quivering with frustration. "I think you need a girlfriend."
"You wish, Hiromi." He turned his head to face the young brunette.
"What?!" A bright red flash spread across her soft cheeks. "What was that supposed to mean?!"
Takao removed his arms from behind his head and ran ahead of the group, paused and turned back to the girl with his tongue sticking out. "Exactly what it sounds like!"
"Come on, stop fighting you two!" Kyoujyu sighed.
Daichi paused, and looked at the group with wide eyes. "Hey-" He began but was shortly cut off by the sound of Hiromi's voice.
"He started it!" Hiromi accused, pointing one finger in his direction.
Takao turned his back to her, bent forward slightly and began to pat his own backside. "Come and get me, Hiromi!"
"Hey-" Daichi made his second attempt at catching the other's attention only to fail due to another interruption.
"Takao! Stop that!" Kyoujyu demanded.
"HEY!" Daichi finally popped, screaming out in the small hallway.
"What is it, Daichi?!" The three older teens yelled at once.
"Look over there," The redhead lifted his finger to point outward.
They had passed the hotel's cafeteria without notice. Takao, Kyoujyu, and Hiromi followed the direction of Daichi's finger to see a group of familiar faces standing around a single table. A smile cracked across his face, it was his friends! Rei, Max, Kai, Ralf, Jam and Adof! He had to see what this meeting was about! Anything that had the combination of these fine people had to be fun.
"Takao!" Max turned to see the world champ sprinting in his direction.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked with a smile.
"It's none of your business!" Jam snapped at the boy and shot a glare at him.
"What's with that?" He was quick to curl his lip at the older female.
"Just a second, Takao." Max lifted his hand to pause the blue-haired boy. "Go ahead Rei."
"Adof," Rei began to speak, his eyes glued at the only adult in the room. "Why did Cat decided to form a band?" The words left Rei's mouth and entered Takao's ears like pins and needles. What was with the sudden interrogation? "It's strange for her to form any kind of band with anyone, let alone two girls who are younger than her." He explained, "She's too stubborn and independent to join a band, so why?"
His eyebrows lowered on his forehead. What? Stubborn? Independent? He felt an all-too-familiar feeling wash over his body. The sickness in his stomach hit him with full force, causing him to wince in pain. As he looked to the floor, a thought passed through his head.
Why would she join a band?
Takao felt himself hold a single breath as he wondered. Stubborn, Cat was nothing but, but did this mean she was too stubborn? Taking in two younger girls to form a pop band? It didn't seem likely for the Cat he knew. Why hadn't he thought of this himself? Why didn't he question this formation earlier? And more yet, why did his friends decide to go behind his back and ask Adof for themselves without consulting him? Why were there so many secrets between them now? Two years ago…there were never any secrets, never any questions, so why now?
XoXoX
Paparazzi. The paparazzi were something the original Saint Shields were not used to. The idea of being stalked and photographed every day of their lives was something foreign and alien to them. And it wasn't something they wanted to get used to soon. The Saint Shields, Rumi, Yumi and Yuki stepped down a busy Roman street accompanied by a large group of trailing paparazzi. A white flash here, a microphone to the face there; it was all happening so fast. What was the deal anyway? Just because Cat, Rumi and Yumi were famous? How aggravating.
"GET OUT OF MY FACE!"
Ozuma sighed and rolled his eyes. Dunga had shouted once again at the paparazzi. When would he learn that they wouldn't give up? He growled under his breath, he could relate to the larger male. The idea of having his picture taken and then plastered all over the latest music magazine wasn't his idea of fun. In fact it bothered him to no end.
Rumors stirring, embarrassing pictures it was all a way to disrespect his team. Had he made the wrong decision in choosing Cat Greco? Ozuma's eyes darted in the celebrity's direction. Cat held her hand over her eyes, an effort to hide her face from any photographers. Maybe he had?
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this!" Mariam squeaked, her arm lifted to shield her face from the white flashing lights.
"We'll never make it back to the hotel in time for dinner!" Yumi sighed before throwing her hood over her head.
"That's the least of our problems!" Yusuf shouted over the large crowd.
"We can make it!" Cat called out, "Let's run okay?" She looked over her shoulder to the group. "It's not much further now."
Ozuma nodded and he too turned to the rest of the group. "Now!" He then dug his heels into the ground and sprinted forward.
The group hesitated for a moment. They each looked at one another before shooting forward behind him. It was their best bet to get to the hotel without any major damage done to them.
XoXoX
"Her CD sales are falling."
The words slowly formed in Adof's mouth. They entered the air and set the mood. Falling? What did that mean? The former BBA stood around Adof with looks of shock stuck on their faces. Did that mean? Did that mean Cat wasn't as successful as she presented herself to be? Adof sunk in his seat, his sunglasses falling down the bridge of his nose to reveal his baby-blue eyes. He sighed, refusing to look the teens in the face.
"We have no money left." He continued in a tone just above a whisper. "I took two new singing sensations and paired them together with Miss Greco. This way, she might be able to find some new fans." The manager inhaled a chest full of air before sitting up straight, regaining his composure. "Another pop star has entered the field…I can't remember her name right now but that person is stealing a lot of Cat Greco's old fans."
For a brief moment the pain in Takao's gut ceased. The information he was trying to process was wandering in his head, circling about. Words, memories, images flashed through his mind in seconds. What was going on? Why were things becoming so fuzzy? He felt his hands clench and eyes close. Was this the reason why Cat had become so angry? It was possible.
A sudden crash caused the whole group to jerk and look upward toward the cafeteria entrance. Loud sounds of people came rushing in. The hallway began to flash in bright white pops. Was someone taking pictures? Takao narrowed his stare at the empty doorway; someone was coming and bringing a lot of people with them. A single voice entered his ears; it was Cat's voice!
He felt the urge to jolt forward to meet the female, but before he could do so, The Saint Shields became visible. Behind them was a huge gathering of paparazzi. The paparazzi filled the room with flashes and noise. Takao and the group standing behind him opened their eyes in shock. What was going on here?
"What are you all doing here?" Cat snapped, her eyes finally landing on him and his former team members.
"Cat!" Jam was first to jump forward.
"Jam, wait!" Ralf called out to the older sister.
"Cat, why didn't you tell me you were having money problems?!" Jam reached out to her younger sister and began to shake her violently by the shoulders. "Cat!" She then threw her arm back to point at Ralf, "You KNOW I have connections!"
"What?" She backed away from her older half and looked back to the former BBA. "You know?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Greco," Adof bolted up from his seat. "Mr. Kon, Mizuhara and Hiwatari came to me and asked. I couldn't keep them in the dark any longer."
"Oh!" A voice came from the group of paparazzi. "Miss Greco! Are you having money problems?!"
"I see!" Another voice popped out from the group of photographers. "This is why you formed a band!"
"Front page news: Miss Greco's career in the toilet!"
"No! Stop!" Adof pushed passed the teen boys and stood in front of Cat, Rumi and Yumi.
"Oops!" Jam threw her hands over her mouth.
"OOPS?!" Cat swirled around to glare at her sister.
"Cat," Takao walked up to his old friend and tried to place his hand on her shoulder. "Why didn't you tell any of us? Max, Rei or even me?"
She proceeded to slap his hand off her shoulder and turned to face him, "Because none of you needed to know!"
"You're making things worse for yourself by shouting." Kai replied as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Oh be quiet!" She shouted once again. "Since when did you ever care?! All you want to do is embarrass me even further!"
"You do a pretty good job of that yourself." Kai laughed slightly before reopening his eyes.
"Miss Greco!" A voice called from the group of paparazzi. "Tell us more about your financial troubles! We want a good story for tomorrow's magazines!"
Cat pushed by her manager and locked eyes with a single paparazzi member. She then pulled back her right hand and balled her hand into a fist. She let out a loud hiss before lunging forward. Before she could land a single hit, a set of large arms reached out and grabbed her. Her arms were trapped between Dunga's muscular arms. She yipped and squirmed as Dunga lifted her off her feet. She began to kick back and forth in an effort to release herself from the larger boy's grasp.
"Let me go!" She shouted.
"Cat, stop!" Takao rushed forward and held his hand out to Cat.
Cat stopped all movements before looking back at Takao. "Don't you ever begin to tell me what to do, Kinomiya!"
He backed away in shock. Did his ears hear right? Did Cat just snap at him again? But why? He felt his heart sink in his chest. Why the anger? He was trying to help, right? He suddenly felt the presence of his friends standing beside him. He turned to his right to see Max standing beside him; to his left stood Rei and Kai. A sudden breath of fresh air entered his lungs. They were all together again? What was with this sudden bout of confidence, standing beside his old teammates?
But what was he to do now? Things had gone sour so quickly. Takao felt his expression turn into a frown. He had to do something; he had to say something to make things better. But what? He couldn't think of a word to say to the female that found so much new hatred in him. What could he do? For the time being, just stay out of her way.
Act End.